James Harden has left no doubt that he is the best shooting guard in all of basketball. He's leading the league in scoring (27.2 PPG) and is playing much better defense than he has the last few years (2.2 BLK% is more than double his previous best).

Dwyane Wade is playing even better, averaging 30 PPG on 50% shooting over the last two weeks. Unfortunately, the Heat are only 2-4 in those games as they've been beset by a slew of front court injuries.

Since my last shooting guard posting two weeks ago, Jimmy Butler scored a career high 35 points against the Knicks, scored 31 the following night against the Grizzlies, and most recently scored 33 against the Pelicans. He will win Most Improved Player in a landslide and is right there with Dwyane Wade as a top two SG in the eastern conference. He'll be an easy All-Star selection for the coaches (NO MORE JOE JOHNSON).

In a bold, but blatantly necessary stroke, 2K Sports finally lowered Kobe Bryant's Overall rating by 4 points. The truth is Kobe should and could see his rating drop even further. He shot 19-71 (26.7%) from the field over three games before shutting it down to rest the next three. He is shooting 33.5% from the field in December, yet continues to lead the league in Usage rate. Kobe needs to let go and accept that he is no longer an elite player.

The Raptors are 10-4 since DeMar DeRozan's injury. Given his decline in production before the injury and the team's continued success without him, I'm hopeful that his rating gets dropped upon his return to game action

Bradley Beal continues to dodge justice from 2K Sports, while Wesley Matthews, Danny Green, and Courtney Lee are among the best two-way guards in the league and are all rated less than 80 Overall.

Lou Williams has been nothing short of incredible for the Raptors as he fills DeMar DeRozan's scoring void, and is beating Jamal Crawford in the race for Sixth Man of the Year. He scored 31 points (11-18 FG) last night, the second time he's cracked 30 this year.

After leading the league with 65.3 TS% last season, Kyle Korver is out to break shooting records this year, as his 71.3 TS% would set the all-time mark (though he's got competition from centers Tyson Chandler and Brandan Wright). James Harden's 65.9 TS% with the Thunder in 2012 is the highest mark by a guard in the modern era (excluding 1995-97, due to the shortened 3pt line), so Korver's current level of play is without precedent. It might be safe to consider him the greatest spot-up shooter of all-time.

It's hard to believe this is the same Arron Afflalo who was a borderline all-star candidate last season, averaging 18 PPG (43 3PT%) in a larger offensive role. He seemed like a sure bet to opt out of his contract (7.9M) but that seems less likely with each passing day.

A lot has been made of the Pistons winning two games since Josh Smith's release, but the truth is they are 4-4 since Jodie Meeks returned to action. As much as Smith was a spacing killer, not having Meeks hurt just as much.Dion Waiters is playing better, averaging 15 PPG (46 FG%) in 25 MPG over his last 6 games. The Cavs need that kind of production from their sixth man if they have any hopes of contending.

Vince Carter got off to a slow start, but is starting to pick it up now. He's scored double figures in 6 straight games after accomplishing that only ONCE in his first 21 games. He trails Charles Barkley for 24th on the all-time scoring list by 372 points.

O.J. Mayo received some credit early on for the Bucks turnaround but he had been dreadful since his insertion into the starting lineup. It's probably not a coincidence that the Bucks beat the Hawks by 30 as soon as he was removed from the starting lineup.

Mike Miller is hitting 54% of his threes since entering the Cleveland starting lineup ten days ago. He's still just a one-trick pony, though, as evidenced by his usage rate (Miller did not attempt a 2PT FG over this stretch).

Jared Dudley has really stepped up his game since the Bucks lost Jabari Parker to injury. Dudley is averaging 13.5 PPG on 59% shooting (52 3PT%) and was a mind-blowing 10-10 FG (4-4 3PT) in a 30-point victory over the Hawks (24 points in only 24 minutes!). After a lost season with the Clippers it looks like Dudley is back to his usual self.

C.J. Miles had a 28 point explosion against the Pelicans but will need a few more games like that to turn his season around.

Tony Snell hasn't hit a shot in one month (0-13 FG with 13 of 16 games played). Wayne Ellington on the other hand averaged 12 PPG (41.7 3PT%) in his three starts for Kobe and his OVR is three points worse.

It's pretty crazy that Ben Gordon and Willie Green have the same Overall rating. To Jacque Vaughn's credit, Green hasn't played in 17 days.

Troy Daniels is already maximizing his opportunity with the Timberwolves, scoring 14 points (5-6 FG, 4-4 3PT) against the Warriors in a mere NINE MINUTES.

It should be obvious that Justin Holiday is a better player than whatever Brandon Rush has left in the tank.

To be fair, DeRozan improved immensely on the defensive end, which is why his offense production suffered. He's been the type of player who focuses on one thing during the off season, other areas suffer during the early months of the season and he finds a balance towards the end.